Balance trainer

ABSTRACT

A balance trainer on which a user can perform various modes of movement that make it possible for the actual environment to simulate an imagined environment, providing an enhanced training effect. The balance trainer comprises a trainer board that has a top surface on which the user stands, and a bottom surface facing the floor, and rollbar that supports the trainer board while allowing the trainer board to yaw, pitch and roll with respect to the floor surface. By changing the position of his center of gravity, the user can perform many types of movement with the balance trainer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a balance trainer used in balance trainingthat simulates balance sensations in the three dimensions of yawing,pitching and rolling encountered in sports with the aim of improvingphysical capabilities and concentration, stimulating the brain, and forrehabilitation and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

FIGS. 7 (a), (b) and (c) show the plan view, front view and right-endview, respectively, of a conventional balance trainer 2. As shown, thebalance trainer 2 comprises a trainer board 10, and a separate round bar50. The round bar 50 is placed horizontally on a floor surface F, thetrainer board 10 is placed on the round bar 50, and a user mounts thetop surface 10 a of the trainer board 10. The trainer board 10 can berocked up and down with respect to a reference constituted by a tangentS1 between the trainer board 10 and the round bar 50, and a tangent S2between the round bar 50 and the floor surface F moves from side to sidebased on the rolling movement of the round bar 50 in the side-to-sidedirection indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7 (b), enabling side-to-sidebalance training by users.

FIGS. 8 (a), (b) and (c) show the plan view, front view and right-endview, respectively, of a conventional balance trainer 3 disclosed byUnexamined Patent Application No. 2004-305442. As shown, the balancetrainer 3 comprises a trainer board 10, and a support member 40 thatrockably supports the trainer board 10. A user mounts the top surface 10a with his (or her) left foot L1 on one side of a line m and his rightfoot L2 on the other side of the line m. The balance trainer 3 can rockup and down about a center in the vicinity of the line m, enabling theuser to use that rocking motion for balance training.

The configuration of each of the above balance trainers 2 and 3 limits auser to the relatively-simple, standardized patterns of movements, whichare a vertical rocking motion and side-to-side movement. As a result,when the user responds to his actual environment by attempting to movehis center of gravity in accordance with an imagined environment, thereis a dissociation between the physical and imagined sensations thatmakes it impossible for the user to effectively attain his objective.Moreover, a user who practices assiduously and becomes used to thoselimited movements can lose interest in practicing balance training at ahigher level, so does not enjoy the benefits of further training.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention was accomplished in light of these circumstances and hasas its object the provision of a balance trainer that can provide animproved balance training effect that makes it safe and interesting forall levels of users, from novices to top athletes, to continue withtheir balance training.

The present invention attains the object by providing a balance trainer,comprising a trainer board having a top surface mounted by a user, and abottom surface facing a floor surface; and a rollbar disposed between aguide channel on the bottom surface and the floor surface that supportsthe trainer board so that the trainer board can yaw, pitch and roll withrespect to the floor surface, the trainer board having the guide channelformed to extend longitudinally on each side from the center of thebottom surface, and a plurality of stops that are detachably attached ata plurality of attachment locations in the guide channel of the bottomsurface.

In the above-described balance trainer, the rollbar is provided as apart that is separate from the trainer board and is laid between thetrainer board and the floor surface, the rollbar comprising aflange-shaped center portion and flange-shaped end portions, the centerportion and end portions each having the same diameter, with the rollbarbeing formed with a taper that tapers from the flange-shaped centerportion to each of the flange-shaped end portions.

By means of the guide channel provided on the bottom surface of thetrainer board, the center portion of the rollbar can be positioned at adesired location along the guide channel.

Preferably, two of the plurality of attachment locations are disposed ona line passing through the center of the bottom surface on oppositesides of the center attachment location of said plurality of attachmentlocations.

The plurality of attachment locations may each have a female thread, andthe plurality of stops may each have a male thread that can be screwedinto engagement with the female thread.

In accordance with the balance trainer of the present invention, a usercan perform various modes of movement that make it possible for theactual environment to simulate an imagined environment. As a result,everyone from novices to top athletes can continue to train with thebalance trainer without losing interest, and the effect of the trainingis enhanced. The balance trainer also helps to improve balance, providewell-balanced strength, increase the ability to concentrate, movecorrectly and focus the mind, and can also be applied to visiontraining, mental training, rehabilitation and nursing care.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (a) shows a top view, FIG. 1 (b) a front view and FIG. 1 (c) abottom view of an example of the trainer board used in the balancetrainer of the invention.

FIG. 2 (a) shows a front view and FIG. 2 (b) a right-side view of therollbar of the balance trainer.

FIG. 3 (a) shows a front view and FIG. 3 (b) a top view of a stop usedin the balance trainer of the invention.

FIG. 4 (a) shows a front view, and FIG. 4 (b) a bottom view, of anembodiment of the balance trainer of the invention.

FIG. 5 (a) shows a right-side view of the embodiment, and FIG. 5 (b)illustrates the rolling motion of the top surface of the balance boardof the embodiment.

FIG. 6 (a) is an enlarged sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 4 (a),and FIG. 6 (b) is an enlarged sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 5(a).

FIG. 7 (a) shows a top view, FIG. 7 (b) a front view and FIG. 7 (c) aright-side view of a conventional balance trainer.

FIG. 8 (a) shows a top view, FIG. 8 (b) a front view and FIG. 8 (c) aright-side view of a conventional balance trainer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention will now be explained with reference to thedrawings, in which FIG. 4 (a) shows a front view, and FIG. 4 (b) abottom view, of a balance trainer 1 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the balance trainer 1comprises a trainer board 10 that has a guide channel 11 formed toextend longitudinally on each side from the center of its bottom surface10 b, a rollbar 20 having a flange-shaped center portion 20 b that canbe positioned at a desired location along the guide channel 11, andstops 30 that are detachably attached at attachment locations h2 and h4out of a plurality of attachment locations h1 to h5 provided along thelongitudinal center line of the guide channel 11. The rollbar 20supports the trainer board 10 so that the trainer board 10 is capable ofyawing (Y), pitching (Y) and rolling (Z) motions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the trainer board 10 is a member having arectangular shape, formed of wood or FRP, for example. The top surface10 a of the trainer board 10 is the surface on which the user stands,for which the surface is made non-slip. On the bottom surface 10 b,there is formed guide channel 11, which extends longitudinally on eachside from the center of the bottom surface 10 b. In the guide channel11, there are formed a plurality of attachment locations; in the case ofthis example, there are five attachment locations, h1 to h5, arranged ina row longitudinally along the center line of the bottom surface 10 b.Each attachment location has a female thread to allow a stop 20 to bescrewed into the location. The attachment locations h1 to h5 are formeddirectly in the bottom surface 10 b, into which they are recessed. Whenthe rollbar 20 is used as shown in FIG. 4, described below, the stops 30provide safety by ensuring that the flange-shaped center portion 20 b ofthe rollbar 20 does not come out of the guide channel 11.

FIG. 6 (a) is an enlarged sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 4 (a),and FIG. 6 (b) is an enlarged sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 5(a). In the trainer board 10 shown in these drawings, the guide channel11 is provided on the bottom surface 10 b of the trainer board 10, inopposition to the floor surface F, and the flange-shaped center portion20 b of the rollbar 20 is inserted into the guide channel 11, allowingit to move freely in the direction of the tangent S1 with the point ofcontact S1 with the bottom surface 10 b as the fulcrum. This enablesmore lively yawing Y, pitching X and rolling Z of the trainer board 10.

With respect to the sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 5 (a), byshifting his center of gravity, a user can cause the ends of the trainerboard 10 to pitch relative to the flange-shaped center portion 20 b. Theconfiguration is such that movement of the ends of the trainer board 10caused by the user shifting his center of gravity is contained withinthe flange-shaped end portions 20 a of the rollbar 20.

FIG. 2 (a) is a front view of the rollbar 20, and FIG. 2 (b) aright-side view. As described, the rollbar 20 is formed with aflange-shaped center portion 20 b and flange-shaped end portions 20 a.While all of these flange-shaped portions have the same diameter, therollbar itself has a taper t from the flange-shaped center portion 20 bto each of the flange-shaped end portions 20 a.

The sides of the trainer board 10 are contained within the steppedportions formed between the flange-shaped center portion 20 b and theflange-shaped end portions 20 a at the end of each taper t.

FIG. 3 (a) shows a front view of a stop 30, and FIG. 3 (b) a top view.Each stop 30 comprises a more or less hemispherical lower portion 30 b,a round columnar portion 30 a that extends up from the hemisphericallower portion 30 b. A male threaded portion 30 c projects up from thetop end 31 of the columnar portion 30 a to enable the stops 30 to bescrewed into a desired two of the attachment locations h1 to h5 withwhich the bottom surface 10 b is provided. The stoppers 30 can bereadily removed from the trainer board 10 by unscrewing them. Wood, forexample, can be used for the columnar portion 30 a, and a resilientrubber material for the hemispherical lower portion 30 b.

As shown in FIG. 4 (b), in this embodiment, the guide channel 11provided on the bottom surface 10 b opens downwards. The inside surfaceof the guide channel 11 is treated to reduce friction.

In the balance trainer 1 thus configured, with the line connecting thetwo stops 30 inserted into the desired two of the attachment locationsh1 to h5 provided in the guide channel 11 on the bottom surface 10 b ofthe trainer board 10 constituting the range of movement as shown in FIG.1 (b), the rollbar 20 rollingly supported in the guide channel 11 makesit possible for the trainer board 10 to yaw, pitch and roll.

Therefore, when a user standing on the top surface 10 a of the trainerboard 10 moves his center of gravity in a desired direction, the balancetrainer 1 rolls about a center constituted by the flange-shaped centerportion 20 b of the rollbar 20, producing weight displacement that makesit possible to perform yawing Y, pitching X and rolling Z movements. Theuser can therefore perform balance training by correcting for thesemotions by adjusting the position of his center of gravity to maintainhis balance.

In this embodiment, the stepped portions formed between the tapers t andthe flange-shaped end portions 20 a increase the depth of verticalmovement that can be experienced in the transverse direction.

The center of the rocking motion from the rolling of the rollbar 20 canbe changed to various positions, enabling various movement modes by thebalance trainer 1. With reference to FIG. 4 (a), for example, the rangeof rocking motion by the rollbar 20 is decreased by the two stops 30being inserted in the attachment locations h2 and h4, making the motionsof the balance trainer 1 mainly rolling Z (Z1 and Z2) and pitching X (X1and X2), a reduced range of operation that is suitable for novices tomedium-level users.

Inserting the stops 30 in h1 and h5 adds yawing Y (Y1 and Y2) to therange of motion, enabling various combinations of lively motions withsteeper up-and-down angles, such as the combinations X1, Z1 and Y2, orX1, Z2 and Y2, and so forth, making it more difficult for a user to keephis balance by moving his weight, making this configuration moresuitable for top athletes who can maintain their posture to the front orrear, even at steep board angles. The balance trainer can also be usedwithout any stops 30, in which case the degree of movement and rockingwould become even greater, making this a mode suitable for top athletes.

Thus, in accordance with this embodiment, yawing Y (Y1, Y′1, Y′2) can beadded to the rolling Z (Z1, Z2, Z′1, Z′2) and pitching X (X1, X2) of thetrainer board 10 produced in the area of contact between the guidechannel 11 and the flange-shaped center portion 20 b of the rollbar 20,enabling various combinations of lively motions with steeper up-and-downangles, such as X1, Z1 and Y2, or X1, Z2 and Y2 and the like. Also, theto-and-fro movement of the rollbar 20 can be changed by appropriatelyselecting which of the attachment locations h1 to h5 the two stops 30are inserted into, thereby setting the center of the rocking motion.Thus, the balance trainer 1 is capable of a wide range of settings forsafer movement modes.

1. A balance trainer, comprising: a trainer board having a top surfacemounted by a user and a bottom surface facing a floor surface; and arollbar with a flange-shaped center portion disposed between a guidechannel having a plurality of stop attachment locations recessed thereinthat is provided on the bottom surface and the floor surface thatsupports the trainer board so that the trainer board can yaw, pitch androll with respect to the floor surface.
 2. The balance trainer accordingto claim 1, wherein the rollbar comprises a flange-shaped longitudinallycenter portion and flange-shaped end portions, the center portion andend portions each having the same diameter, with the rollbar beingformed with a taper that tapers from the flange-shaped center portion toeach of the flange-shaped end portions
 3. The balance trainer accordingto claim 1, wherein a guide channel with an opening that faces the floorsurface is provided on the bottom surface of the trainer board and theflange-shaped center portion of the rollbar can be positioned at adesired location along the guide channel.
 4. The balance traineraccording to claim 1, wherein two of the plurality of attachmentlocations recessed into the guide channel of the trainer board aredisposed on a line passing through the center of the bottom surface onopposite sides of the center attachment location.
 5. The balance traineraccording to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of attachmentlocations has a female thread portion, and each of the plurality ofstops has a male thread portion that can be screwed into engagement withthe female thread portion, and a surface of each stop in opposition tothe floor surface is substantially hemispherically shaped.